Natural HISTORY of the COCHENEAL FLY. THIS infect is of the torpid fort, and performs all the neceffary offices of life, while it is fmall; but it foon grows large, and then lives almoft motionlefs for the remaining part of life. It is now pretty common in Jamaica, where it is faid to have been introduced from the main continent not many years ago: it breeds chiefly upon the prickly-pear in that ifland, that particular fpecies called the tuna, on which they commonly breed, being very rare there. They are commonly found wrapt up in fmall tufts of delicate white down, which yields like a cobweb; and fticks pretty close to the fides of the infect, immediately above the legs, as if it had grown out of that part of the body. They live chiefly upon fucculen plants, but are moft commonly found upon thofe of the cactus tribe, which generally fupply them both with faftenings and a defence: for which reafon, the Indians, who are the only people that raife them, propagate large quantities of the molt harmless species of that clafs to breed them upon, as it affords a · better opportunity both for managing and collecting them; but their frequent harvests, and the heavy rains that fall in thofe countries, would render all their induftry, in this refpect, ufelefs; did they not always take care to preferve and protect a fufficient flock of breeders; which is generally done in the following manner, viz. Every Indian who manufactures cocheneal, is fupplied with regular walks or plots of tuna, to feed his infects; and when he apprehends the feafons are fetting in, he cuts off fome of the best furnished branches, and plants them in his nursery-house, leaving the infects on the remaining part of the tree to be collected by the proper workmen, who brush them off very carefully; and gather them in fmall baskets, or cloths, to be dried and prepared for the market; while the others fwell and breed very copiously on the protected plants. But when the feafons are quite over, and the weather again fettled, thefe are alfo brushed off and fixed anew on the plants in the walks, where they fpread and increafe until the following crop. For in thofe countries the rains fall chiefly at two ftated seafons, and would wash away the infects, if they had not been gathered or protected. The dve obtained from these in fects formerly ufed to be prepared, by pounding them, and fteeping the pulp in the decoction of the texuaola, or that of fome other plants, which they obferved to heighten the colour. This was left to fettle at leifure, and afterwards made into cakes and dried for the market. But of late they have found both a better and a more expeditious method of preferving the dye, which is by drying the infects whole, either in an oven, or upon the bakingftones. Some Account of the Going of Mr. Harrifon's Longitude Time-Keeper. SOME OME imperfe&t accounts having already appeared in the newsAugust 1764. papers of the refult of the trials of Mr. Harrison's Longitude Time 3 1 Keeper Keeper, in a late voyage to Barbadoes, and it being probable that others may follow; it has been thought proper, by way of fatisfying, in some measure, the importunities of his friends, till a board of longitude fhall be held, and the matter decided upon by the honourable commiffioners, to give the following authentic and plain narrative of fome experiments, which, though they will not any of them fall under the notice of the commiffioners, as they were not enjoined to be made by them, may yet ferve as collateral proofs of the going of the Time-Piece, and how far it is likely to fucceed in the folution of the grand problem of the longitude. In December 1763, Mr. John Harrison, by a written circular invitation, prevailed on twelve noblemen and gentlemen, of unquestionable abilities and integrity, to meet daily at his houfe in Red LionSquare, to examine and witnefs to the going of his Time Keeper (foon to be sent to America on trial for the longitude) in fuch manner as they fhall deem moft fatisfactory among themselves. Accordingly they agreed to compare it every day with a regulator, fixed in the fame houfe, which, for thirty years together, had feldom been known to vary from the rate of mean folartime more than about one fecond in a month; and that the going of the faid regulator itself should likewife be afcertained by means of an accurate inftrument, alfo in the houfe, for obtaining the fun's tranfit over the meridian, as often as the weather fhould permit. The Time-keeper was thus compared with the regulator for eight fucceffive days, and immediately after each comparison was wound up, 5 and then fealed up in a box, with as many of the company's feals as they chofe to affix; the regulator being alfo fealed up in like manner. The refult of all these comparifons was, that the Time piece gained upon the regulator, for the most part, about one second a day, fometimes a finall matter more; it having, upon the laft comparifon, been found to have gained nine feconds and fix tenths of a second in the whole eight days. After thefe trials, Mr. Harrison took his Time-keeper afunder, in order to perfect farther that part of it, which was concerned in counterbalancing and regulating those small inequalities which may arife from the various temperature of the air, in refpect of heat and cold; but he had not time to execute his purpose before a fhip was appointed to take the machine on board, and proceed for the ifland of Barbadoes, upon the ultimate trial for the longitude. Mr. William Harrifon, the fon, being ordered, along with the Timekeeper, on board the Tartar man of war, then lying in Long Reach, and commanded by Sir John Lindfay, did, at the requeft of Mr. James Short, F. R. S. on the 13th of February, come to the faid Mr. Short's houfe, in Surry-ftreet in the Strand, and there compared the Timekeeper with Mr. Short's regulator, made by the late Mr. Graham, which was that day adjufted to the mean folar time, by a nice tranfitinftrument; when the Time-piece was found two feconds and a half flower than the mean time. Immediately after Mr. Harrifon fet off in a boat from Surry Stairs, with the Time-piece, for Long Reach. The hip, according to order, proceeded to Portfmouth, whence, after after fome stay, Mr. Harrifon fent to Mr. Short, and others of his friends, a written declaration, importing, that he had found, by experiments, that when Fahrenheit's thermometer ftands at 42, the Timekeeper gains three feconds in 24 hours; when at 52, it gains two feconds; when at 62, one second; when at 72, it neither gains nor lofes; and when at 82, it lofes one fecond a day; that nevertheless he would not be understood that future Time-keepers will be liable to the like difficulties in being brought to perfection, fince it is no difficult matter to keep a track once marked out. The fhip failed from Spithead, March 28, and met with hard and contrary gales, especially in the Bay of Biscay. April 18, they made the island of Porto Santo, North Eaft of Madeira, as fet forth in the following certificate of the captain. Madeira, April 19, 1764. "I do hereby certify, that yefterday, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. William Harrison took two altitudes of the fun, to ascertain the difference of longitude, given by the Time-keeper, from Portfmouth; according to which obfervations, he declared to me, we were, at that time, 43 miles to the eaftward of Porto Santo. I then steered a direct courfe for it, and at one o'clock this morning we faw the island which exactly agreed with the diftance mentioned above. "Given under my hand, on board his majesty's fhip the Tartar. "JOHN LINDSAY." They arrived at Barbadoes May 13. Mr. Harrifon all along, in the voyage, declared how far they were dillant from that ifland, according to the best-settled longitude he could procure before he left England. The day before they made it, he declared the distance; and in confequence of this declaration Sir John failed till eleven at night, when it proving dark, he thought proper to lay by, Mr. Harrison then declaring they were no more than eight or nine miles from the land; which accordingly, at day break, they faw from that distance. June the 4th, Mr. Harrison failed from Barbadoes, with the Timekeeper, on board the New Eliza beth, Capt. Robert Manley, bound for London. July the 12th, Mr. Harrifon declared they were 50 leagues to the weftward of the Lizard; prefently after which they fpoke with an outward-bound brig, which proved to be fent from Leverpoole, and had yefterday taken her departure from the Scillies (always allowed to be zo leagues to the weftward of the Lizard.) The New Elizabeth, by the Log, found the run 53 leagues; whereupon Capt. Manley averred, that the Time-keeper had found the Lizard much more exactly than the Brig's reckoning, though fhe had feen the Scillies but the evening before. Capt. Manley now made directly for the Thames, and he and Mr. Harrison arrived in a boat at SurryStairs, July the 18th, about half past three in the afternoon; when it was found, upon comparing the Time-keeper with Mr. Short's clock, examined that day by the tranfit instrument, that allowing for the variations of the thermometer, as specified in Mr. Harrifon's journal, the Time-keeper differed from the mean folár-time 15 feconds flow; but that without allowing for fuch variations, 312 and and abiding by his declaration of the uniform gain of one fecond a day, it had then gained 54 feconds, from its departure from Surry-Street, till its arrival there again, after 156 days, or 22 weeks and two days. Remarkable Inftance of the frange Effects of OPIUM. TH guards in fuch a condition from the opium he knew it was their custom to take. "That, fays the rajah, is a mistake, and if there be any body here for whom thou haft no concern, bid him pluck a flower as fottly as he pleafes out of any of their turbans." The governor inftantly ordered a perfon, who was hear him, to do what the rajah had mentioned. The man obeyed; he proceeded with the utmost caution, and appreaching him who feemed the most overcome with fleep, fnatched off the flower. The ra jah's guard felt what was done, and without more ceremony, at one stroke cut off his arm, and the rest were inftantly on their feet. Thus the governor was convinced of their vigilance at the expence of a fer. vant, who, whether he was innocent, or fo guilty as to deserve being exposed to fuch a trial, was probably thought of no confequence under that arbitrary government. N the acceffion of James the Fift to the throne of Eng land, the court fwarmed with whole multitudes of beggarly nobility from the neighbouring kingdom, who, because they were Scotchmen, thought themselves fufficiently en titled to treat the English in whatfoever manner they pleafed. The first act of insolence was committed on Sir Herbert Crofts, a member of parliament, at the very first meet ing of that affembly after James's arrival in England: the day his ma jesty opened the feffion, the commons being fent for, as ufual, to attend in the house of peers, the members crouded to hear what their new king had to, fay, and this occafioned fome Luftle at the door. Sir Herbert Crofts particularly pufhing forward, a Scotch rascal belonging to the guard, thruft him rudely back, and at the fame time faid, Gude Mon Burgess, ye come not here.-Sir Herbert made a complaint to the houfe, but like fome houfes of commons fince, they took no notice of the matter, and were afraid of offend ing the court, if they proceeded to the punishment of a Scotchman. The next inftance of Scottish audacity was this:-Mr. Edward HawJey, a gentleman of the first eminence, belonging to Gray's-Inn, coming one day to court, and having, according to a very great fashion then in vogue, a black string in his ear, one Maxwell, a worthy Scot, who had been particularly favoured by the king, not liking his appearance, he went up in the very prefence, and led Mr. Hawley out by the fring, loading him at the fame time with all the aukward : abufe of Caledonian invective. His infolence however was near proving fatal to him. The fociety of Gray's Inn confidered themselves as immediately concerned in fo grofs an affront to one of their most refpectable members, and Mr. Hawley publickly threatened the life of his bare-buttocked injurer, if he refused to fight him.This alarmed master majefty to the laft degree, and being terrified for the life of his favourite, he fent for Mr. Hawley and the benchers of Gray's-Inn, and prevailed upon them to accommodate the difference without bloodshed. One In a little while after, however, another inftance of Scottish oppreffron and impudence obliged the king to interpose in behalf of his fcabby and audacious, countrymen. Ramfey, a fellow, whom, like Maxwell, he had raised up from the dirt of a bleak mountain to a peerage, having fome dispute at a horse race with the Hon. Philip Herbert, bro ther to the earl of Pembroke, Ram-i fey made no more a-do, but basted/ him heartily with his whip, and even ftruck him feveral times across the face. Mr. Herbert, afraid of the. king's refentment, never once refifted, and James, who was a paffi- ; onate admirer of paffive obedience, was fo charmed with his behaviour, that the next day he created him a knight, a baron, a viscount, and earl of Montgomery. Shortly after, another affair hap., pened which alarmed the whole kingdom, and made every body look upon a Scotchman as a tyrant and a murderer. Robert Creighton, lord Sanquir, being an excellent fwordsman, had once a mind to difgrace |